SPEAKER GINGRICH TO GET BIG IOWA ENDORSEMENT

Iowa Speaker Paulsen endorses Gingrich for 2012 GOP nomination

HIAWATHA — Iowa Speaker of the House Kraig Paulsen is endorsing Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination for president. Paulsen, a Hiawatha Republican, will announce his endorsement at an 8:30 a.m. State Capitol news conference Dec. 21.

“We need a president who is ready to lead and, more importantly, ready to release the energy of the American people and American spirit,” Paulsen said in announcing his decision.

He called Gingrich “a consistent conservative who has led this effort before and I believe can lead it again.”

According to Gingrich’s schedule, he will be in Iowa, however, Paulsen’s spokeswoman Josie Albrecht, could not confirm whether he would attend Paulsen’s announcement.

Paulsen does not plan to accompany Gingrich to New Hampshire to announce his endorsement there, Albrecht added.

John DiStaso of the The Union Leader in Manchester, N.H., had reported New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O’Brien will fly to Iowa to join Paulsen in endorsing Gingrich and the trio would then fly to New Hampshire for an event there.